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'Women in Art' show features art inspired by joy, tragedy

Artful Gifts Staff member Linda Longo, left, talks to artist Alma Lugo Aug. 29, at the gallery at Circle Square Commons in OTOW about the large portrait Lugo did of her mother. The painting is part of a display at the Marion Cultural Alliance's Artful Gifts gallery's "Women in Art" September show.

Jon Singley / Staff photographer

By Lora E. IdeCorrespondent

Published: Thursday, September 5, 2013 at 1:23 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, September 5, 2013 at 1:23 p.m.

Artists at the Marion Cultural Alliance's Artful Gifts gallery are gearing up to exhibit their works in a number of art shows this fall, including the gallery's September contest, which has the theme "Women in Art."

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The gallery is located in the Circle Square Commons at On Top of the World. In part because of the contests, art featured there constantly changes, said Linda Longo, who works at the venue.

After hearing about the September contest, Alma Lugo, one of the many member artists at the gallery, brought several paintings to show staff and friends before entering two pieces. One is a large portrait of her mother, Cristina Melendez Guzman, done to show her youthful beauty when she moved with her family in the mid-1960s from their native Puerto Rico to New York City.

"She was 28 at the time. I worked from a black and white photograph," Lugo said.

Later, as her mother aged and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Lugo did many other portraits of her. Her parents are now both deceased.

"She was a such a good model. She would sit perfectly still for hours," Lugo said of her mother.

Although Lugo has been an artist since she was young, she worked for more than 30 years as a mental health counselor. She retired last year, finally having more time to devote to painting in oils and acrylics.

"We have so many good artists at Artful Gifts, and Alma is one of them. To me, some of her paintings give a feeling of calm in the midst of chaos," said staff member Diane Cahal, a creative photography artist.

Lugo said it was a memorable moment when she earned her first award for a watercolor.

"I entered a contest in 1965, when I was just 21, and won first prize," she said.

After recently speaking to members of the business and art communities in Puerto Rico, she was invited to do a new show there. While busy preparing for the show and looking forward to fall, she, like many Americans, still thinks about the events of Sept. 11, 2001.

Lugo worked at a school in Washington, D.C., at that time. Her parents lived just a few miles from the World Trade Center. In the emotional days and months that followed, Lugo began work on paintings with a theme she called "Explosion of Flamboyans," which is Spanish for the flowers that grow on the Royal Poinciana tree. In one painting she showed the flaming red flowers and the damaged twin towers, in abstract, calling it "A Time to Heal."

"As a mental health counselor all those years, I always thought there were a lot of things in your mind, and if you let yourself go, a lot of things come out," Lugo said.

While sadness certainly can figure into the work of any serious artist, there are times when you just have to laugh, she added.

"I was showing some of my art several years ago and a gentleman said, ‘I love your painting of the dragon.' What he was seeing was the back of the tails of two snails, which were dark. The snails in the painting were facing each other," Lugo said.

Artful Gifts has been open three years. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

On the first Saturday of each month organizers hold a reception from 6:30-8:30 p.m., during which visitors and artists can mingle and chat.

"It's an enjoyable evening, with music on the square that night," Longo said.

Upcoming contest themes are "Fall in Love with Art" in October, "Give Thanks for Art" in November and "Give the Gift of Art" in December.

For more information, call the gallery at 237-3747.

To reach the Marion Cultural Alliance office at the Brick City Center for the Arts, call 369-1500.

<p>Artists at the Marion Cultural Alliance's Artful Gifts gallery are gearing up to exhibit their works in a number of art shows this fall, including the gallery's September contest, which has the theme "Women in Art."</p><p>The gallery is located in the Circle Square Commons at On Top of the World. In part because of the contests, art featured there constantly changes, said Linda Longo, who works at the venue.</p><p>After hearing about the September contest, Alma Lugo, one of the many member artists at the gallery, brought several paintings to show staff and friends before entering two pieces. One is a large portrait of her mother, Cristina Melendez Guzman, done to show her youthful beauty when she moved with her family in the mid-1960s from their native Puerto Rico to New York City.</p><p>"She was 28 at the time. I worked from a black and white photograph," Lugo said.</p><p>Later, as her mother aged and was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Lugo did many other portraits of her. Her parents are now both deceased.</p><p>"She was a such a good model. She would sit perfectly still for hours," Lugo said of her mother.</p><p>Although Lugo has been an artist since she was young, she worked for more than 30 years as a mental health counselor. She retired last year, finally having more time to devote to painting in oils and acrylics.</p><p>"We have so many good artists at Artful Gifts, and Alma is one of them. To me, some of her paintings give a feeling of calm in the midst of chaos," said staff member Diane Cahal, a creative photography artist.</p><p>Lugo said it was a memorable moment when she earned her first award for a watercolor.</p><p>"I entered a contest in 1965, when I was just 21, and won first prize," she said.</p><p>After recently speaking to members of the business and art communities in Puerto Rico, she was invited to do a new show there. While busy preparing for the show and looking forward to fall, she, like many Americans, still thinks about the events of Sept. 11, 2001.</p><p>Lugo worked at a school in Washington, D.C., at that time. Her parents lived just a few miles from the World Trade Center. In the emotional days and months that followed, Lugo began work on paintings with a theme she called "Explosion of Flamboyans," which is Spanish for the flowers that grow on the Royal Poinciana tree. In one painting she showed the flaming red flowers and the damaged twin towers, in abstract, calling it "A Time to Heal."</p><p>"As a mental health counselor all those years, I always thought there were a lot of things in your mind, and if you let yourself go, a lot of things come out," Lugo said.</p><p>While sadness certainly can figure into the work of any serious artist, there are times when you just have to laugh, she added.</p><p>"I was showing some of my art several years ago and a gentleman said, 'I love your painting of the dragon.' What he was seeing was the back of the tails of two snails, which were dark. The snails in the painting were facing each other," Lugo said.</p><p>Artful Gifts has been open three years. Gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays and noon to 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.</p><p>On the first Saturday of each month organizers hold a reception from 6:30-8:30 p.m., during which visitors and artists can mingle and chat.</p><p>"It's an enjoyable evening, with music on the square that night," Longo said.</p><p>Upcoming contest themes are "Fall in Love with Art" in October, "Give Thanks for Art" in November and "Give the Gift of Art" in December.</p><p>For more information, call the gallery at 237-3747.</p><p>To reach the Marion Cultural Alliance office at the Brick City Center for the Arts, call 369-1500.</p>